By Ted
Last Saturday, we visited Fort Ancient. About an hour east of Oxford, Fort Ancient is a State Memorial perched above the Little Miami River in the town of Oregonia, Ohio. On the way we stopped in Lebanon for lunch; we passed up The Golden Lamb--Ohio's oldest hotel, with guests including John Quincy Adams and Mark Twain--for Doc's Place, a hole-in-the-wall sports pub with a killer bloody mary bar.
After lunch, it was on to the Fort! A quick history: the complex was constructed by the Hopewell culture around the time of Christ. (Other Hopewell sites in south-central Ohio include Mound City outside of Chillicothe, part of the Hopewell Culture National Historical Park.) Fort Ancient was originally thought to be, well, a fort. This thesis has been revised based on recent archaeological work; now the site is thought to have served a ceremonial purpose.
At Fort Ancient, there is a well done museum with a history of native American and colonial settlement in southwest Ohio. We also hiked along the bluffs above the Little Miami, just below the walls of the Fort.
Some photos!
Last Saturday, we visited Fort Ancient. About an hour east of Oxford, Fort Ancient is a State Memorial perched above the Little Miami River in the town of Oregonia, Ohio. On the way we stopped in Lebanon for lunch; we passed up The Golden Lamb--Ohio's oldest hotel, with guests including John Quincy Adams and Mark Twain--for Doc's Place, a hole-in-the-wall sports pub with a killer bloody mary bar.
After lunch, it was on to the Fort! A quick history: the complex was constructed by the Hopewell culture around the time of Christ. (Other Hopewell sites in south-central Ohio include Mound City outside of Chillicothe, part of the Hopewell Culture National Historical Park.) Fort Ancient was originally thought to be, well, a fort. This thesis has been revised based on recent archaeological work; now the site is thought to have served a ceremonial purpose.
At Fort Ancient, there is a well done museum with a history of native American and colonial settlement in southwest Ohio. We also hiked along the bluffs above the Little Miami, just below the walls of the Fort.
Some photos!
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A map(!) of the earthworks
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Looking north over the Little Miami River
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Looking back towards the Fort as we descend towards the river
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| An action shot of Mackenzie! |
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| One of the portals in the Fort |
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| Another view of the walls of the Fort |
Beautiful scenery!
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